Awholphinorwolphinis
an extremely rarehybridborn
from a mating of a femalebottlenose
dolphin(Tursiops truncatus) with a
malefalse
killer whale(Pseudorca
crassidens). The name implies a hybrid of whale and dolphin, althoughtaxonomically, both are within the "oceanic dolphin"
family, which is within the "toothed whale"
suborder.The
first recorded wholphin was born in a Tokyo SeaWorld, but he died after 200
days.The
first wholphin in the United States and the first to survive was Kekaimalu,
born atSea Life ParkinHawaiion May 15, 1986;
her name means "from the peaceful ocean".Although
they have been reported to exist in the wild,only one is
currently in captivity, atSea Life ParkinHawaii.

Kekaimalu proved fertile when
she gave birth at a very young age. The calf died after a few days. However, in
1991, Kekaimalu gave birth once again, to daughter Pohaikealoha. For two years,
she cared for the calf, but did not nurse it; it was hand-reared by trainers.
Pohaikealoha died at age 9. On December 23, 2004, Kekaimalu had her third calf,
daughter Kawili Kai, sired by a male bottlenose. This calf did nurse and was
very playful. Only months after birth, it was the size of a one-year-old
bottlenose dolphin.All three calves were three-quarters
bottlenose dolphin and one-quarter false killer whale.Both Kekaimalu and Kawili
Kai remain in captivity, and are now part of the normal tour at Sea Life Park.

In one episode of the showThe
Million Pound Drop Live, a team was asked which hybrid did not
exist: a wholphin, azorse, aliger, and a sheepig; they bet £550,000 on the
wholphin and £150,000 on the sheepig.As the wholphin
was real, they lost £550k of their money but later said thatMangalitsasare
commonly referred to as sheepigs.

[The] 'wolphin'
and 'Shetbra' are two examples of rare hybrids created when animals have mated
across the species divide.

Kekaimalu the 'wolphin' was the result of the union of a
bottlenose dolphin and a false killer whale, which is actually a member of the
dolphin family.

The two parent animals mated while working together at
Sea Life Park in Hawaii and Kekaimalu was born in 1985.
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Her size - 600lbs and nearly 10ft long - colour, and
shape are half way between that of her mother and father.

Perhaps even stranger is Nikita the 'Shetbra', the
offspring of a Shetland pony called Linda and a zebra called Jonny in 2004.

They lived on a farm in Mongenzon, in north east South
Africa, where Jonny learned to jump a fence between their enclosures.

The result was Nikita, who was born less than 50cm high,
with very short legs, an unusually large head, delicate pointed hooves and
stripes like her father.

The world's only known whale-dolphin mix has given birth
to a playful female calf, officials at Sea Life Park Hawaii said Thursday.

The calf was born on Dec. 23 to Kekaimalu, a mix of a
false killer whale and an Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Park officials said they
waited to announce the birth until now because of recent changes in ownership
and operations at the park.

The young as-yet unnamed wholphin is one-fourth false
killer whale and three-fourths Atlantic bottlenose dolphin. Her slick skin is
an even blend of a dolphin's light gray and the black coloring of a false
killer whale.

The calf still depends fully on her mother's milk, but
sometimes snatches frozen capelin from the hands of trainers, then toys with
the sardine-like fish.

She is jumbo-sized compared to purebred dolphins, and is
already the size of a one-year-old bottlenose.

All about
whales

"Mother and calf are doing very well," said Dr.
Renato Lenzi, general manager of Sea Life Park by Dolphin Discovery. "We
are monitoring them very closely to ensure the best care for them."

Although false killer whales and Atlantic bottlenose
dolphins are different species, they are classified within the same family by
scientists.

"They are not that far apart in terms of
taxonomy," said Louis Herman, a leading expert in the study of marine
mammals.

There have been
reports of wholphins in the wild, he said.

Kekaimalu, whose
name means "from the peaceful ocean," was born 19 years ago after a
surprise coupling between a 14-foot, 2,000-pound false killer whale and a 6-
foot, 400-pound dolphin. The animals were the leads in the park's popular
tourist water show, featured in the Adam Sandler movie "50 First
Dates."

Kekaimalu has
given birth to two other calves. One lived for nine years and the other, born
when Kekaimalu was very young, died a few days after birth.

Park researchers
suspect the wholphin's father is an 8-foot long Atlantic bottlenose dolphin
named Mikioi.

"He seems to
be totally oblivious to this happening," Lenzi said.

False killer
whales do not closely resemble killer whales. They grow to 20 feet, weigh up to
two tons and have a tapering, rounded snout that overhangs their toothed jaw.

Atlantic
bottlenose dolphins reach a maximum size of 12 feet and can weigh up to 700
pounds.

Sea Life Park
officials said they hope to decide on a name for the baby wholphin soon and
move her to a large display tank in a few months.